Ron, I am just finishing my second panel going into a 415D.....the first was done and then we realized the radio would not allow the yoke to travel to the maximum up limit. It is the larger (deeper) Alon-style panel from Skyport. The radio lacked only about 1/2" of clearing the upper, horizontal part of the "T" on the yoke. Bummer!! And believe me, I had spent a lot of time calculating, checking out the location of all holes, depth of the radio, and location of it and the transponder both, all to realize that it was for naught.
Wasted a couple of weeks trying to figure out how to use the panel, you know, filling the hole in, welding it then grinding smooth, etc. and finally decided just to buy another and do it right the second time!! So I guess my advice should be "measure many times and cut once". Used the instrument hole cutters that are on a bolt and you use a big wrench to tighten it together and cut the hole. Worked like a charm!! Used an air-powered cut-off wheel to cut the rectangular holes for radio and transponder after drilling fairly large holes at the four corners to get the nice radius to fit the cases. We should be placing it in the fuselage and drilling the mounting holes soon, then it will be powder-coated before we start installing the instruments. Good luck with yours!!! Dallas Wilhelm 2940H Dallas E. Wilhelm, Jr., Ph.D. Associate Professor and Chair Biology Department Hastings College Hastings, Nebraska USA 68901 (402) 461-7382 phone (402) 461-7463 fax
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